Each year thousands of pizza businesses sell millions of hot pizzas for delivery and carry-out. The success of these businesses depends to an extent on the cost and functionality of the boxes used for packaging the product. Ideally, these boxes should be cost-effective and easy to use.
To achieve cost-effective, easy to use packaging, it would be desirable to have a cover-locking structure that requires only a minimal amount of extra material to incorporate into a box blank and also is easy to operate and maintains a reasonably tight cover closure after repeated opening-and-closings of the box. This is particularly the case with the D-type pizza box presently used by Domino's Pizza.
Information relevant to attempts to address these problems and achieve this type of pizza packaging can be found in Philips et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,702,054 granted Dec. 30, 1997 and Keefe, Jr. et al. U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,106 B2 granted Jun. 15, 2004.
Philips et al. discloses a cover-locking structure comprising a tab at opposing ends of a cover front flap with the projections engaging with slits at opposing ends of the front wall assembly. The height of the cover front flap is substantially the same height as that of the front wall of the box. This cover-locking structure is relatively material-efficient and easy to use. This cover-locking structure is presently in use on the Domino's Pizza pizza box.
Keefe, Jr. et al. discloses a relatively complex cover-locking structure consisting of a tab extending from a front end edge of each of a pair of diagonal corner panels attached to a front end of side wall panels. Further, the front wall of the box contains openings for receiving the tabs. The engagement of the tabs with these openings serves to hold the corner panels and attached side wall panels in upright or vertical position. Still further, there is a flap attached to the top edge of the front wall. Finally, there are cover diagonal flaps attached to front diagonal edges of the cover panel. These cover flaps wrap around the ends of the front wall flap when the box is closed and, thereby, hold the cover in closed disposition.
In conclusion, it would be highly desirable to provide a pizza box and blank that satisfies the need for cost-effectiveness and ease of use, particularly as applies to the D-style pizza box presently used by Domino's Pizza.